Beck Malenstyn out six to eight weeks after surgery for broken finger

Washington Capitals' Beck Malenstyn underwent surgery Thursday. (Mark Humphrey/AP)

Washington Capitals forward Beck Malenstyn underwent surgery Thursday to stabilize a broken finger on his left hand, the team announced Friday. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

Malenstyn was injured Tuesday in Washington’s overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He dove to block a shot in the first period and was clearly shaken up. Malenstyn hunched over in pain on the bench before exiting to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

Washington (5-5-2) placed Malenstyn on injured reserve Thursday, and he will remain there for the foreseeable future. The team’s injury list is long, with Nicklas Backstrom (hip), Tom Wilson (knee), Carl Hagelin (eye, hip), Connor Brown (knee), T.J. Oshie (upper body) and John Carlson (lower body) all out of the lineup.

Malenstyn’s injury came at an unfortunate time. The 24-year-old had found a home on the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway for a solid five-game stretch, providing a needed boost of speed and physicality. Malenstyn had one goal and one assist in five games. He was originally recalled from the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears on Oct. 19 after Brown’s lower-body injury.

Without Malenstyn in the lineup Thursday night in Detroit, the Capitals opted to put winger Joe Snively on the fourth line with Dowd and Hathaway. Snively finished with 12:17 of ice time and recorded two shots on goal in his fourth game of the season.

It is unclear whether Snively will continue in his new fourth-line role Saturday, when the Capitals kick off their four-game homestand against the Arizona Coyotes. If Washington’s coaching staff decides to make Snively a healthy scratch, forward Sonny Milano could make his Washington debut. Milano was recalled — along with forward Garrett Pilon and defenseman Lucas Johansen — on Thursday from Hershey.